RTA Speed Zones and Speed Signs up for Review

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By Anthony Crawford | July 28th, 2011

It seems that the NSW Roads & Traffic Authority is as confused as any of us over what speed we should be doing along many of the states major roads.

It also appears that NSW State Liberal Government has been listening to driver’s complaints about the impossible number of speed signs and speed zones on NSW roads that make it difficult to work out just how fast you should be driving at any one time.

The RTA has launched a new website that asks the drivers of NSW to let them know what they think of the current speed sign fiasco in this state.

Here’s a screenshot of the blurb on the site:

Welcome to the RTA’s Safer Roads NSW website
On this site you can find out how speed limits are set and reviewed. You can also have your say about speed limits and speed limit signs in NSW. The information you provide, together with road safety and crash data, will help the RTA prioritise speed zones and speed limit signs for review. This is part of the NSW Government’s commitment to carry out an audit of speed zones. The top 100 roads identified through this website will be reviewed by the RTA’s NSW Centre for Road Safety by 31 March 2012.

The RTA is supposed to be about traffic management among it’s many other key responsibilities, but they seem heavily preoccupied on the job of serious revenue raising instead of ensuring the smoothest possible traffic flow. How many times when heading away on the annual family holiday do you ask yourself, “OK, so what’s the speed limit here?

Then there’s the classic signage overload situation, where between Sydney and Brisbane on the so-called Pacific Highway there are well over 178 (we gave up this count at this point with another 200 kilometres to go) speed sign changes – and that’s a freeway, for God’s sake.

Let’s not get into the discussion on the correct speed for a particular stretch of road, but that’s a subject whereby drivers can have their say in what appears to be a genuine attempt by the NSW government to improve NSW roads and traffic.

Good Luck.

Good News Guy

I think the new NSW Government is making great progress on improving our roads in just a couple of months. Cameras coming down , speeds signs under review, actually listening to the driving public. Good grief its a revolution! keep going!! What about the Isofix child seats used all over Europe and the US. Much, much safer than our crazy laps and straps dodgy fit system. Some nutter in the NSW RTA has banned them because the public might get confused. What a dick head. Easy to put in and out. Fittings are already in many of our new cars (see two little tags in the crease of your back seat where the Isofix slides in very safely and is removed just as easily). Much safer than our current ridiculous system as proved by the Swedes when they tested ours and concluded that they were death traps for our children.
Keep it up Barry. Get into the dick heads in the RTA and lets move forward for once.

Spook

Isofix is not an RTA issue, but Standards Australia.

Here’s a CA article from last year re child retraints:
http://www.caradvice.com.au/58898/child-restraint-safety-how-will-australias-new-laws-affect-your-child/

Good News Guy

Oh thanks for that……. but I did ask the RTA and they had the same answer. Why can’t they just grow up and accept that someone else has a better solution.

Right

They really need to get there act together with the isofix situation. If I had a kid I would probably use it even though it is against the law because it is significantly more safer than the systems available to us now.

Technofreak

great!
Technofreak

Oh dear has anyone had a look at the site yet? LOL!
save it for the track

I’m no fan of the previous Government. But the speed review has been going on for quite a while. The stumbling block has been the bumbling Councils. With speed reviews requested over a year ago still incomplete.
.
How disingenuous is the opening statement of this article ? This does not indicate that the RTA is confused. They are asking for opinions. As the author of this piece would (or should have) have easily found, the guidelines and regulations for speed zones, including placement, spacing and size of signs is easily accessible on the RTA website. That’s hardly indicitave of a body that is confused about speed zones. As a matter of fact the RTA as a body is wanting to reduce the number of speed zones, and do away with 70 zones, 90 zones and any existing ‘buffer zones’. There are ‘buffer’ zones left over from many years ago, and the abolition of these will see speed limits in areas like country NSW go straight from 100 down to 50, then back to 100 after going through town (as an example), instead of existing types of 100, 70 (or 80), 50, then 70 (or 80) and back to 100. Some speed zones may stay if they are now a genuine zone and no longer a buffer (it’s all in the guidelines), but 70 and 90 zones are to go the way of the dodo.

http://caradvice.com.au Anthony

It’s not the RTA wanting to do anything, it’s the NSW State Transport Minister telling them so. If it was up to the RTA my friend, they would be asking to put up more cameras to increase the revenue from those cash converters.

The inconsistency of speed signs and zones in NSW has been an issue for years, almost as though they were set up to best catch motorists out from a quick 70km/h to 50km/h change, in order to increase revenues. There are also countless stretches of road (some semi rural) that were posted 100km/h several years ago but suddenly dropped to 60km/h with no new housing in place. Guess who was first on the scene the week those signs were changed? That would be the NSW Police Service issuing fines and demerit points like no tomorrow. Clearly, the RTA need a massive shake up and it looks like Barry O’Farrell is the man for that job.

And while we’re at it, when is the RTA going to contract road builders that can lay a new piece of road that doesn’t start to fall apart after an inch of rain. The Northern Beaches in Sydney is an absolute disgrace and an outright danger to motorists trying to avoid the large and destructive potholes that have appeared on roads that were re-surfaced less than six months ago. I mean how hard can it be to lay a new piece of road that lasts for at least a few years? Just get on a plane to Berlin and go ask the Germans to show you how to do it. Trust me, it will be money well spent. They build autobahns (freeways) that are five times thicker than the rubbish that is layed here. They also build in a 1-2 percent angle into the road, which means that even during torrential rain, there is no water left on the road to cause aquaplaning at high speeds.

Rant over
Yonny

Save it, you’re being disingenuous I think. The RTA has had to be prodded into this review.

Also, I’m not sure why we need buffer zones at all – I’m quite comfortable dropping directly from 100 down to 50 to pass through a small country town, it isn’t too hard an ask and I do it regularly on the so-called highways I travel on frequently (indicating, of course, that buffer zones aren’t a consistent feature on our roads). For those drivers who are less patient, what makes you think dropping to 80 then 50 would make a difference?

I do however think that if governments at all levels were serious about road infrastructure main highways would NOT pass through small country towns. But they’re not serious are they, and they never have been – look how long it took to bypass Goulburn, on one of the busiest roads in the country. Look also at how long the Pacific Highway upgrades are taking – decades after the Grafton and Kempsey bus crashes when it was decided upgrades were urgently needed we are still waiting…

svd

Doesnt the RTA like any other Government body do what the Government of the day request? I ask this because any changes the RTA make or Water Board, NSW Health etc must be signed off by the repective minister before they become law? That means the Government of the day.

Oswald

We need the introduction of 120kmh or 130kmh speed zones

http://Frosty Hicks

I’ll one up that, Autobahn (unrestricted)

Spook

Whoa.. hang on. Let’s get

a) better driver training
b) better road surfaces

before letting the general population loose on unrestricted roads. I’d imagine people who frequent a website like this are motoring enthusiasts, and possibly have a higher standard of driving, but the skills of the general population are, frankly, quite frightening.

Camski

Firstly, let me start off by saying, I completely agree with everything that’s been said as a whole (by Oswald, Hicks and Spook).

Just to add to a), the learner and provisional licence speed restrictions (I believe) would also have to be reviewed. Imagine a learner getting some highway driving practice in (“country driving” is currently part of standard learner driving schools cirrculum [such as NRMA's driving school], which depending on your area, may involve an 80km/h+ speed zone) going at 80km/h while everyone else is travelling at 130km/h+ (we all know how people behave on the highways, with a 130 limit, you’ll see people trying to get by at 145-150 tops) means a 50km/h+ speed difference.

This is just outright dangerous, especially around some of the long sweeping (blind) bends that we have on our main interstate/city highways.

Peanut

Make it easy for everyone and remove all speed limits.
HJP

Victoria should follow suit too. It’s time to change our nanny state image.
save it for the track

Ah, of course the usual calls for autobahn speeds, without the requisite improvement in road surface, alignment, sight lines and the rest. of course the usual overlooking of what the speed-limits are on the rest of the Germand and EU network. Not to mention the distinct lack of Kangaroos, Emus, and wombats in Germany as well.

AndrewF

Calling for unrestricted speeds might be a bit over optimistic given the state of our roads and our skills, but lifting the limits by 10-20km/hr seems perfectly feasible – in most cases it would merely bring the speeds back to where they were 15-20 years ago, when we had just as many kangaroos and emus, and arguably even worse roads than we have today.
http://caradvice Hopeful

Have traveled extensively on the Autobahns and sections of our major freeways are in far better condition,wider and safer.

Some unrestricted parts are just 2 lanes!!

However drivers there are much more disciplined so initially we could have a unrestricted license available to current fully licensed drivers with a yet to be determined test.

This would allow them to drive at a unrestricted speed in a restricted lane for unrestricted licensed drivers only(similar to a bus lane.)

Non restricted drivers in this lane would be very heavily penalized.

Pie in the sky..probably!but who would have thought 2 months ago of the changes underway today.

Some freeways here though should be 130kmh as a start.

P.S In Germany they have Deer signs posted on the autobahns

Freddie

A realistic goal would be to remove stupidly low tolerances (i.e. < 10 kph) first. To be Autobahn-grade would lake some time. Roads must be up to the task, and with the way we're driving, unfortunately, it won't be that soon.
Tim

NSW is already way ahead of the daylight robbery going on over here in WA. They take in 50% more revenue from fines here yet we have only a quarter of the population!
Moe

We can still get unrestricted speeds on some highways doesnt have to be all eg Nsw to Qld have good roads…….. Sticking to 120 for 10hrs is dangerous but say 160-170 in 6hrs would cause less accidents by fatigue. To make it fair to drive unrestricted you must sit a new license test or additional course to allow you to enter those speeds. My 2 cents
http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/ Paul

Where is the LINK?
http://www.facebook.com/priusfreezone Matthew Werner

Liking the things the new government are doing, the RTA has been needing this kick in the arse for years.

I hope they also tell the RTA gets told to look at the restrictions on what cars L & P platers can drive and rather than just a blanket “no turbos or V8s” ban put some effort into it and come up with guidelines based on something like power-to-weight. A new Falcon has more go than V8s from a decade ago.

Then a better driver training and tougher licensing scheme. OK I’ll stop now
Antman

Cant you all see what they are doing?
If they get rid of all the 70 and 90 zones, they’ll all now be 60 and 80. What a joke!
Shak

Another brilliant move by the Newly Elected Government. One thing i would realy like to see them get on top of though, after they sort out this issue, is better driver training. I was in an RTA last week, and as i waited for my new licence, i asked a driver progressing to their Green P’s what they had to do. He told me they basically have to sit a computer test which asks them questions of how they would react to certain real life hazards. He told me the screen displayed a screen with an apparent real life situation, but a fake digital speedo, and indicators. It then simply asked them when they would react, but because it was part animation, it was so hard to judge distance, and actual speed, rendering the whole point of a real world test obsolete.

Up till now, i always thought our young drivers were dangerously under-educated, but i never fully understood how badly educated they were. The government really needs to get on top of this issue, because if this is what the RTA believes driver training is, then i truly dont feel safe on the road.
svd

Some commenters are stating that we should have no limit like the German Autobahns. The speed limit on the German Autobahns is 130kmh. It is not strictly enforced but you should maintain lane discipline. If however you are travelling at over 130kmh and you have an accident you are deemed to be at fault unless you can prove otherwise. Some of the photographs I have seen of high speed accidents on the Autobahn (above 160kmh) the driver would not be able to prove anything other than how good a fertilizer they make.
svd

Some commenters are stating that we should have no limit like the German Autobahns. The speed limit on the German Autobahns is 130kmh. It is not strictly enforced but you should maintain lane discipline. If however you are travelling at over 130kmh and you have an accident you are deemed to be at fault unless you can prove otherwise. Some of the photographs I have seen of high speed accidents on the Autobahn (above 160kmh) the driver would not be able to prove anything other than how good a fertilizer they make.

http://caradvice Hopeful

It is true that there are numerous speed limits on Autobahns(depending which one)and they range from 80-130kmh.

However some of our freeways are more than suitable in sections for the same unrestricted speeds.

Concentration certainly increases along with speed.

France and Italy have what I would really like to see today here on multilane freeways with the majority being at 130kmh which is a comfortable speed.

svd

Maybe the website admin can remove my double post. I was waiting a long time for it to come up and got impatient and clicked submit again. Sorry bout that
Rumps

It should be a nationwide implementation which the Federal Government should act on:

A) Better Consistent Licences and Training
B) Better Consistent Road Quality

Higher speed limits won’t work if NSW Drivers has better roads and driver training but then slipped into state that was still nanny state Governed.

Consistency is key to the road system working and minimising congestion…example – Europe.
Chris

The answer is to give the RTA professionals power to direct Councils on signage for all main roads. Remember the old “Department of Main Roads”? As ‘Rumps’ says consistency is the way to go. Example – USA freeway signage.
Peter

I have recently returned from Germany after having lived there for 4 years. The Autobahns, for passenger vehicles and motorbikes, range from completely unlimited speed limit to 100km/h in known black spot stretches. The open limit applies where there is very low likelihood of a vehicle being able cross into oncoming traffic and three lanes are available. Overtaking is only permitted by moving to a more inside lane and you must move over when you see someone coming behind you in your mirror. (Here I note that the average Australian wouldn’t do so owing to a “lane ownership” attitude.) Heavy vehicles are banned from overtaking for the most part – they must remain in the outside lane. Black spot areas are normally the long straight stretches with only a concrete barrier between directions and potential for sun glare. Crucial to all this: Germany has the most stringent vehicle licensing procedure in the world, with a high percentage failing on first assessment. So yes, Australia could raise the speed limit on many of its dual carriageway freeways to 130km/s in the dry weather with 110km/h in the wet (as per the French motorway system, much of this being twin lane rather than 3 like Germany), but more stringent licensing needs to be introduced, and the “it’s my road” attitude needs to be lost!

http://www.caradvice.com.au Anthony Crawford

Well said, Peter. Driving is a mostly a joy in Germany with no room for arrogance or aggression on the road.

OutBack Wanderers

On the first day of the new RTA website for road reviews, i wanted to voice my opinion on the section of the F3 from Mooney Mooney to Mt White going north

So it asks for start of destination – Mooney Mooney

End of destination – Mt White

Click on show route – up pops White pl Figtree – Mooney Mooney,a whopping great distance, then it asks to move the yellow flag on the section your talking about

Welllllllll, its hard trying to move your little flag up past MM to the section on the F3

And how many millions of tax-payers dollars has this cost us, how can any one expect this nincompoop dept. get anything right, the advertising alone would be over a million

ATTENTION RTA Mt White on the F3 is not in Figtree,Wollongong, you bunch of dumb twits
http://nil Ron Bayley

Why is the section of Chifley Road between Bell and Dargan lowered to 80kmph? Ever since, the place is riddled with highway patrol making lots of money. Even hiding.
There have never been any accidents on this stretch and no changes to road surfaces or any other factor that can justify the lowering from 100 to 80 except the revenue factor.
What is the RTA going to do about it?
The section east of Bell down the Bell’s line of road to Mount Wilson junction is in a poor state where you car rocks sideways at 100, so why not address where the real problems are.
In this case the 80 signs are in the wrong place.